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Best new Dayton 'gems' to show your holiday guests

Best new Dayton 'gems' to show your holiday guests

When friends and family come to Dayton for the holiday season, we like to take them out and show them what this great city has to offer.

But, wonderful as many of our attractions are, it can be tough to keep the local tour fresh. So we compiled a list of some our favorite newer gems to take folks during the holidays.

Brewery Crawl

Dayton's craft beer industry has continued to surge its way into the hearts and minds of yeast and hop lovers the world over. In the city alone you could hit Toxic Brew Co., Fifth Street Brewpub, Carillon Brewing Co., Warped Wing Brewing Company and Dayton Beer Company before making your way to the surrounding communities. If you'd prefer to branch out while letting someone else handle the driving, you can take this tour from Buckeye Road Trips.

Yellow Cab Tavern

This is more than just a venue. It's practically an artery for Dayton's creative community. Whether it's live music, art shows, food truck rallies, craft sales or something else entirely, the "Old Yellow Cab Building" at 700 E 4th St. has managed to be most things to most people for not a lot of money, if any at all. You can see a schedule of upcoming events here.

Local vendors set up shop with handmade wares to give and get for the holidays at the Old Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton. (TOM GILLIAM)

River Run Mural

Located at RiverScape at 237 E Monument Ave., this 16-foot tall, 1,000-foot long piece is something that really has to be seen in person to truly appreciate. It was created by Oakwood artist Amy Deal. After impressing your guests, you could probably get some exercise in...or just head to our next gem.

Amy Deal’s winning design will be painted as a floodwall mural across from the RiverScape MetroPark pavilion, part of the River Run constrution project. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Zombie Dogz

Art and bars are great to show off to your guests, to be sure. But how about a taste of Dayton they'll not soon forget? Where else can you get the Calling In Dead or the Juan Of The Dead dogs? They've been flying out the doors since ZombieDogz, the beloved food truck, added a brick-and-mortar location (1200 Brown St.) last month.

Zombie Dogz on Brown Street in Dayton.
Photo by Amelia Robinson

Corner Kitchen

Despite the humble sounding name, CornerKitchen(613 E 5th St., Dayton) bills itself as "a finer diner," and it delivers the goods. Though the menu changes with the seasons, some entrees have become staples. The Chicken Dinner, Corner Burger and House Poutine are local favorites. Says one Corner Kitchen devotee: "One of my favorite places to show off to out-of-towners is Corner Kitchen. I can’t say enough about the poutine. The French fries are the perfect consistency (crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside). Pure decadence."

Their drink options are nothing to pass up either. Signature drinks like the Aviation and the Cherry Walnut Manhattan are must-try cocktails. Corner Kitchen also sports a very impressive wine list.

The must try fried bologna at Corner Kitchen in Dayton's Oregon District.
Photo by Amelia Robinson

Madame Delluc Artisan Chocolatier

Another relative newcomer to the Dayton area, Madame Delluc (2510 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood) is definitely a great place to take guests during the holidays. The company produces its chocolates using original recipes developed by founder Marie Delluc in the 1920s, and sells a chocolate bar considered among the best in the world. The store was opened by Francoise Walusis and her husband John Walusis of Washington Twp., and her brother-in-law Brian Walusis of Miami Twp. Francoise is a Belgian native. One fan tells us, "The staff is incredible and the chocolate is to die for."

Dorothy Lane Market/Jungle Jim's International Market

Okay. So they're not all that "new", but they are places visitors love once they've been there. Dorothy Lane Market (three locations) has long been known by Dayton locals as the place to go for gourmet foods. Whether it's their massive deli and meat department, ready-to-eat comfort food meals or mammoth beer and wine selection, out-of-towners have began making it a required stop while in town.

For the more adventurous, Jungle Jim's International Market (5440 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield) is just 45 minutes down the road. The store is essentially a theme park for foodies, complete with outrageous displays and a gajillion (roughly) varieties of every kind of food item you can think of. More than 80,000 shoppers make their way in and out this fun house of food each week.

The samples. Oh, the samples!

Jungle Jim's Weekend of Fire event is one of the Fairfield store's largest sampling shows. Guests may also purchase products right at the booth after sampling them.

Austin Landing

We know what you're thinking: "Why the heck would I want to go where there's more shopping?" As it turns out, it has some newer attractions that visitors to the Miami Valley really like. "We take my brother to Chuy's (Tex-Mex restaurant) when he comes to town," one Cox Media staffer told us. (There's also a Chuy's location at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.)

One of our other favorite attractions at Austin Landing to show off is Bar 145. Sure, it seems like a regular bar and grill until you see the classic video games from the 80s and 90s. Want to play Tecmo Super Bowl with your buddy to see who buys the next round? You can do that. Were you a master at Galaga back in the day? It's there.

Bar 145/Reset Bar is poised to open fully to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 22 in the Austin Landing development on Ohio 741 in Miami Twp. Its hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The bar will feature live music as well as vintage arcade games and electronic board games. Photos by MARK FISHER/STAFF